This month has been a straight up g i f t. Thanks Jesus!
I have a new team of people I love, we are on an island, our ministry contacts are like mom and dad to us, and ministry is busy, challenging, and sweet. It’s easy to take a month like this and praise Jesus for it all! We have had times as a team to worship on a rooftop overlooking the ocean, we have gone snorkeling for free and even held SLOTHS. This month is the farthest thing from what I expected my month in Honduras to look like. It has been such a refreshment, and such a blessing of a month.
The gift of this month got me thinking about other gifts God gives us, and those he has given me throughout this race. But more specifically, the gifts he has given me that I have been a little less than willing to accept.
When I was younger, I remember getting as a Christmas gift a red plaid dress. (I believe my brothers had matching outfits – probably for our Christmas photo, how 90’s). 5 year old Alysse apparently was very concerned about style, because I HATED it (Sorry, mom & dad). I was not at all happy that I’d have to wear it. It wasn’t until after I put it on that I remember seeing my mom so happy seeing me in it, that I realized her heart behind it. She was giving me a gift, and though I didn’t see any good in it at first, I later grew to appreciate it because I understood my mom’s heart behind giving me that gift.
This is a silly example, but this is how I tend to receive God’s gifts- the ones that aren’t as appealing as the Caribbean ocean I’m blessed with this month. I am reluctant and don’t sometimes don’t want God’s gifts at all.
Throughout the race, there’s been many things God has been trying to give me, trying to teach me, that I’ve been reluctant to receive. I didn’t see the value of these gifts at first. One of those gifts for me has been Christian community. Coming into the race, I didn’t know that so much of a focus was on discipleship, and with that, your team, and on real, vulnerable community. At the beginning of the race, I didn’t want such an involved community of other world racers. I thought, I didn’t want to be 100% real and vulnerable with this bunch of super christians I just happened to be placed with on a mission trip. I just wanted to be here for the mission work, the teaching English, the structured ministry. While I didn’t expect the emphasis on the team and on community and growing with each other and all that, I am realizing that that is a huge gift God wanted to give me this year. God wanted to teach me what community truly looks like. He wanted to give me that gift, but at first, I did not at all want to receive it.
Another gift that I didn’t eagerly receive is this thing called “feedback”. On the race, we have to do feedback. Basically it is where you sit down together as a team every day, and give/receive positive or growth feedback. Positive feedback is basically telling someone something you saw in them that you thought they really excelled in, or any area of their life/ministry where you see them as being really Christlike. Growth feedback is an area where you see they have potential to be more Christlike or where they have some room for growth. I hated feedback at the beginning of the race. I have never been big on confrontation, and I have a very high value of harmony, so it is not naturally my forte to straight up tell people what they should work on or how they can improve. Also I thought it felt like group therapy or an AA meeting or something (which let me tell you, many times it still does). But again, it was a gift God wanted to give me. And now that I have decided to receive it, it has taught me so much about relationships, and how to the support people I love by communicating well with them. It’s something I want to take into my relationships, the workplace, my marriage, and family.
So I guess what I’m just learning is this:
So many times in our lives, God gives us gifts. But most of the time, we don’t see them that way. Or at least not until after we’ve had the time to sit back and realize the good in them. God has a plan for all of our lives, and with that, he has gifts for all of us. If only we can try to view them in that way- as gifts from our Father who loves us. If we see more of the things in our lives as gifts, I think we can better understand God’s heart for us, his children. He loves us and knows what is best for us. He is a god who has good things for us. Hallelujah!
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Here’s a few photos from ministry this month!
Our team with our wonderful host fam (Gary & Susie, Kenzie, and Garrett):
1st graders from the school at recess..(I LOVE these nugs):
View from the coast near where we are living- we are blesssssed!
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thanks for reading!!
